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Tag Archives: Xander Carrow

When we last left the characters of Ally Condie’s Matched Trilogy, they were being pulled away from each other by their duties to the cause. Cassia made it to The Rising only to have them ship her back to Central to work for them inside The Society’s territory. Ky and Indie were kept at The Rising headquarters to work on different efforts. Xander, who is also part of the Rising unbeknownst to Cassia, was also undercover in The Society as a medic in Camas.

The novel finds them in similar places months after the end of Crossed. Thanks to the pleasing addition of Xander’s point-of-view, we learn that things have become increasingly complicated for Cassia and her two Matches as they try to fit the mold of their current circumstances with little, terse contact with one another. They are all waiting for The Rising go against the The Society so that they could be together again. But when The Rising’s attempts to take control end in unexpected chaos, Cassia, Ky, and Xander have much more to think about than their own desires.

As the lines blur between right and wrong blur, the characters we know and love will face major scrutiny from all sides. They must be tested beyond reason and forced to prove their loyalties, or else face horrific consequences.

Reached is equal parts adventure, medical drama, and self-discovery as all three characters discover what they mean to each other but also what they stand for as individuals. It’s quite beautiful to see each characters learn that there is more to life that The Society and The Rising. They learn the power of decision and become richer, more relatable characters than ever before. As usual, Ally Condie’s writing is captivating and poetic, though this time with a sharper, more urgent edge that very appropriately complements the plot.

We know there’s really only one major question fans want answered: Will you be happy with the ending? We think yes!

Ally does an amazing job rounding out all of the storylines, even for the minor characters, in a way that’s satisfying without being overbearing or overly-sentimental. There’s some particularly great twists and references that fans would never suspect that bring the trilogy full circle. There’s something for everyone to something for every reader to delight in and something for every reader to mourn, just as a good book should be!

I found this fan fiction written by Laura on fanfiction.net and had to share it. It’s a note written from Cassia to Ky before departing for Central. Enjoy!

Ky.

I threw the miniport in the river. Not because of the Society – if they could track us, they would have found us by now – but because I don’t need to look at Xander’s microcard anymore. I figured out his secret. He must be in the Rising. Why else would you have known it, and not me?

I don’t blame you. You thought I might leave you if I knew, didn’t you? You thought being [against] the Society was the only advantage you had in my eyes. But believe me, I don’t see you that way.

I see the boy who taught me to write, who opened my eyes to the world around me, who inspired me to fight for what I believe in. Xander may be in the Rising, but he’s still the boy who wanted me to stay as I was. You challenge me to grow, to learn and to love. For that, no matter where our missions take us, the compass of my heart will always guide me back to you.

I love you.

P. S. Stay with Indie if you can. Keep safe.

Indie handed the square of paper over to Ky with a knowing, crooked smile.

“At least there’s one difference between the rising and the Society,” she remarked. “Plenty of writing materials.”

“You read it, didn’t you?”

Indie nodded with an unrepentant shrug. Ky tried to glare at her, but Cassia’s letter – in a handwriting so tiny and precise, he could hardly believe she’d learned to write only months ago – warmed him down to his toes, and he smiled instead as he sat down to eat opposite Indie.

“Keep safe, huh?” she muttered. “Naïve as always, our Cassia, isn’t she? That’ll get her in trouble one day.”

“She’s an optimist, Indie. There’s a difference.”

The former I can’t stand either, he added silently, but the latter … Without people like Cassia, who see light even in the darkest places, and something to love even in people like me … without her, the compass of my heart would have no direction.

Cassia was his evening star, his one clear call, as Tennyson’s poem said. He would count the hours until they met again.

You can check out more of Laura’s fan fiction works (which I would definitely recommend) here.

Since she was cast in The Mortal Instruments, Lily Collins has become a fan favorite for a lot of other YA franchises that will soon be films, and it seems Matched is no exception! Just check out this fan poster by evanessca!

Does Lily seem like a good fit for Cassia? Or do you have someone else in mind?

Lots of fanmade trailers feature cut up clips from TV shows and movies, but check out this totally original trailer written, acted, and edited by the team at Lime Dino Productions:

Here’s what the group had to say about the process behind the video:

This is a book trailer my friends and I made for the 2012 English Quest competition. We didn’t place but I still think we did pretty awesome with what we had. It was super awesome to make from the script and story boards to the actual filming and testing our friends’ acting skills.

A legendary house of horror and madcap ghost hunting come together in Hope Cook’s HOUSE OF ASH! In 1894, Mila Kenton’s life is falling to glamourous ruins. Her cruel mother has had their addict father officially declared dead and is whisking Mila and her little sister, Wynn, to Canada, where she’ll marry the richest man [...] The post Book Review: HOUSE OF A […]

KING OF SCARS brings us to a new Grisha story, centered on King of Ravka, Nikolai Lantsov. It turns out that Leigh Bardugo is not done with the Grishaverse. But she never was really done with it. It was just a matter of when she was going to come back to it, and how. It [...] The post Leigh Bardugo announces Grisha spinoff KING OF SCARS appeared first on Th […]

Makani meets a murderer in the book trailer for THERE’S SOMEONE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE! Prepare for chills and thrills! Stephanie Perkins‘ teen slasher novel There’s Someone Inside Your House hits bookstores today. USA Today’s Happy Ever After is celebrating the creepy thriller with a new book trailer! In the short trailer, we see protagonist Makani, [...] The po […]

WONDER WOMAN is the latest victim in Screen Junkies’ Honest Trailer treatment, and we’re so happy! Although it’s the movie DCEU didn’t deserve, but needed, Wonder Woman doesn’t get away unscathed from the people at Screen Junkies with their latest Honest Trailer. And we can’t complain, because despite all the movies’ flaws, and we know [...] The post Screen […]

Ron Howard is at it again with more STAR WARS photos! Ron Howard, the director of the Star Wars Han Solo spin off movie, has posted some very fascinating on-set photos on social media this weekend. In a hazy shot posted on Twitter, Howard hinted towards “desperate times in the galaxy,” and the elusive photo [...] The post Ron Howard Posts More STAR WARS Han […]